Blackstone’s weed genie out of the bottle

Town approves, signs its first marijuana host community agreement

BLACKSTONE — The town of Blackstone has approved and signed its first marijuana host community agreement with a company that is proposing to open the town’s first cannabis dispensary in Blackstone.

At their meeting on Tuesday, selectmen voted 4 to 2 to approve the agreement with DDM Sales, Inc., which is planning to put an adultuse retail cannabis dispensary in at 1 Lloyd St., the former Bell Liquors building located between the Millerville Men’s Club and Stop & Shop plaza.

Voting in favor of signing the host agreement were Selectmen Daniel Keefe, Robert J. Dubois and Gerald Rivet. Voting in opposition to the agreement were Selectmen Margo Bik and Michael J. Catalano.

Under the agreement, the town would collect annual community impact fees of up to 3 percent of DDM Sales’ gross revenue, which would net the town a minimum of $120,000 a year for at least the first four or five years. The company, which is projecting $4 to $5 million a year in gross sales, has also agreed to pay an additional 2 percent in community impact fees, which would be earmarked as an impact contribution for the Millerville section of town for additional police and fire protection and other impact-related services.

To be licensed by the state, a marijuana establishment must execute a host community agreement with the municipality in which it intends to be located. A host community agreement allows municipalities to essentially set parameters on the operation of a marijuana business and establish an annual impact fee to the town to offset the risks of a marijuana business.

Unlike medical marijuana, recreational cannabis is taxed. The state will levy a 6.25 percent sales tax and 10.75 percent excise tax, and leave to the discretion of municipal officials an option to levy the local tax up to 3 percent.

According to Blackstone attorney Christopher Ryan, who is representing DDM Sales, Inc., there was a good turnout of residents at last month’s community outreach meeting, which included include a full-blown power point presentation focusing on everything from parking to security and a team of experts in the medical and recreational cannabis industries, including a doctor from Harvard Medical School.

Outreach meetings are required by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission and must be held before any local permitting begins.

A Massachusetts domestic profit corporation filed on Sept. 21, 2018 DDM Sales, Inc. lists two principals on record – Rekhaben V. and Vishnubhai B. Patel, both from Wrentham. The principals own six different businesses, including a Fairfield Inn by Marriott.

According to Ryan, DDM Sales – which has filed for a license with the CCC – is proposing to establish a strictly cannabis sales facility, which would purchase marijuana from nearby grow houses. Products will include THC-infused edible products. Up to 13.1 percent of all mar- ijuana-related transactions involve edible products, making them the second most popular type of cannabis product sold in the U.S.

The proposed Blackstone business will be located in the front portion of the building, which currently houses Diamond Overhead Door in the back.

If eventually approved, the dispensary would have stateof-the art electronic security and fire alarm systems; uninterruptible power supplies; 24/7 monitoring; a fenced-in perimeter; outside lighting; and private security details.

Unlike a liquor store where patrons can walk in and grab a product off the shelf, cannabis dispensaries are highly controlled, Ryan said. When entering the building, customers are are required to wait in a secure room pending security checks. Only then will a customer be buzzed into the actual dispensary.

If approved by the town, the dispensary would hire Blackstone residents, especially Blackstone veterans, he said.